Outside metal roof for cars.



E. POSSON.

OUTSIDE METAL ROOF FOR GARS.

APPLIOATIUN FILED SEPT. 20, 1913.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

la-Z22 96.56154y l.

65M l. a' W/ZM t UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

' EDWARD PossoN, or cH'I'cAoo, IIlLInoIs.`

' OUTSIDE METAL Rooi` Fon'cARs'.

specification of Lettesratem. j Patented Sept. 29, 1914. Application led September 20,1913'. Serial No.,790,885

T0 H @hom it may concern Be 1t known that I, EDWARD PossoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Statel of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Outside Metal Roofs for Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, yand exact de- In present railway service, it isav common practice to provide box cars with sheet metal outside roofs. rThe sheets. forming such roofs have hitherto been so attached to the roof boards or other .parts of thev roof structure that, when the car roof ris strained and sprung by jacking up one corner of the car, or otherwise, the roof sheets have frequently been torn or pulled loose.

My invention provides extremely simplek and highly eflicient means for` loosely but very securely att-aching the metallic roof 4sheets to the roof structure in such manner that the sheets will not betorn by distor. tionsor anystrains which may be given to the roofstructure, as incident to any railway service or practice.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. f

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view with some parts broken away and with some parts sectioned, illustrating my improved outside roof applied to a box car; Fig. 2 is a vert-ical section taken approximately on the irregular linev v2-m2 on Fig. 1, some parts being broken away; Fig. 3 isha vertical section taken on the line eL-m3 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail in section on the line .fc4-w* on Fig. 1; and Fig; 5 is a perspective view showing one of `the roof securing clips.

The car illustrated is a box car which may be of the usual or any suitable construction and of the parts of which it is only desirable forwthe purposes of this case to note the roof boards 1, the flashing or side sheeting 2, the ridge pole 3, saddle blocks 4, and runningboard 5. The roof structure ywill also involve the usual or any suitable arrangement of `carlines or purlins. The roofboards are covered with metal sheets 6, preferably galvanized iron plates. vThese sheets 6 run completely across the top of the car and project at their ends beyond the sides of .the car over the fascia, so as to prevent water from running down the sides of the car. Furthermore, the outer edges of these sheets G are turned downward in thefform of flanges and their projecting portions. are reinforced by metal angle strips 7 riveted to the depending edge flanges-thereof andA extended inward between thesaid plates and underlying roof boards.

are spaced apart and are provided with downturned flanges 8 that extend into channel-shaped metal vut-ters 9 that ,areset in lushj'with they roof boards 1, certain ofthe y roof ,boards being omitted to afford space to receive thesaid gutters. :The gutters 9 Vextend complet-ely across the top of the car and are open attheir -outer ends. Metal vcaps 10, preferably in the form of inverted channel shaped sheet metal strips, overlie ythe gutters `9I and cover. the joints between the adjacent edges of the roof plates 5. 1The sor-called caps 10 are of the same, or approximatelythe same length as the gutters 9, and hence, extendy across the roof of the car and project beyond the fascia thereof.

The. projecting ends of the gutters 9 andv of the caps l() and the downturned projecting ends of the roof plates 6 are held within.l

anchoring clips 11 that are bolted, or otherwise rigidly secured to the fascia of the car immediately under the projecting edge of the roof. The top flange of these clips 11 are' made to fit or follow the contour of the projecting ends of the caps 10, and below vsaid vtop plates the said clips are formed with perforated flat surfaces 11, on which the down-turned edge flanges of the roof plates 6 and reinforcements 7, loosely rest with freedom for inward and outward' sliding movements, to compensate for expansion or contraction of the roof plates, or movement of the roof plates due to distortion of the The roof plates are are intermediate clips 12, which, like the" said clips 11, are bolted, or otherwise, rigidly secured to the sides of the car and have vertically spaced ianges that overlap and underlap the flangedv projecting ends of the roof plates 6. These clips 12 also permit movements of the flanged ends of the roof plates, and lthey cooperate with the clips 11 to support the reinforced edges ofthe roof plates at 'various points along the edges of the roof.

Preferably, the so-called ca s 10 are stif- I fened by having their edges ent under, as best shown in Fig. 2, but in some instances the said caps will be made channel-shaped and their channels filled with wood to stiffen lthe same.

The saddle blocks 4, on their under edges, are channeled so that they lit the intermediate contour of the caps they are rigidly secured thereto, and to the top of the car by nut-equipped bolts 13, best shown in Figs. l and 2. These bolts are passed through the ridge pole 3 and through perforations in the saddle blocks, and they are also screwed through metal clamping plates .14 riveted, or l"otherwise, rigidly secured to the bottoms of the intermediate upper portions of the gutters 10. These bolts may be extended either upward or downward through the said parts, and when applied, securely anchor the intermediate portions of the gutters to the ridge p ole and securely hold the saddle blocks fl in position. practically loose but are securely anchored and efficiently held in relative cooperative position, so as to properly form the complete roof. An., water which may run onto the caps 10 will be caught by the gutters 9 and directed outward through perfor-ations in the c lips 11. No water can run, at these joints, through the,roof and into lthe ear. With this construction, if one corner of the car be jacked up, or if vibration or torsional movements be produced in the roof from other causes, the roof sheets will not be torn or damaged for the reason that they are free for movements at their outer ends and at th'eir edges. The end sheets, at the ends of the car are bent down, lapped over and secured in any suitable way.

It has already been noted that the clips'll 10, and preferably,`

and l2 not only hold the roof sheets down at their. ends, or side edges, but also support the reinforced end flanges thereof, so that if a ladder be thrown up against the car, the weight` will -be brought to bear on the reinforced part of the ends of the roof sheets, which being supported at points, say twelve and fourteen inches apart, will be strong enough to support the load and resist bending. j s

The roof structure above described, while strong. and durable, may be very easily applied and repaired and is of comparatively small cost. All soldered joints between the roof plates are dispensed with and all of the bad features incident to the soldered joints are eliminated.

What I claim is:-

1. The combination withacar body, of an outside metal roofstructure comprising transverse gutters, roof plates having downturned edges seated on said gutters, caps overlying said gutters and covering vthe gaps between the adjacent ends of said roof plates, the said gutters being open at their outer ends and projecting beyond the sides of the car, and clips secured to the sides of the car and embracing the ends of said gutters and ofsaid ycaps and supporting -the edges of said roof sheets with freedom for movements in the roof plane.

2. The combination with acar body, of an outside metal roof structure comprising transverse gutters, roof plates having downturned edges seated on said gutters, caps overlying said gutters and covering the gaps between the adjacent ends of said roof plates, saddle blocks resting on the intern'lediate portions of said said saddle blocks, to the intermediate and nut-equipped bolts roof structure the said gutters, the said caps, and the said saddle blocks, and having threaded engagement with the said threaded plates.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDl/VrtRD POSSON.

threaded plates secured passed through the Witnesses:

C. J. Moonn, B. GEORGE GREY.

m Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. C.

caps, a running board secured onportions of said gutters, 

